Hilton Head Island's Adventure Professionals843-384-1414

The tides play an important part in the Lowcountry's saltmarsh estuary ecosystem. A Hilton Head Tide Chart is helpful for predicting and understanding the changing tides and currents they produce.

Tides can affect wildlife behavior, the availability of certain waterways, and also help determine the best schedule for specific types of programs.

Because the tidal schedule shifts forward almost an hour each day, this allows for great variety in the saltmarsh, and flexibility for scheduling adventures!

There are two high tides and two low tides daily, with an average spread of 6 hours 12 minutes 25 seconds between high and low tides (and vice versa). Certain environmental factors, including wind and pressure systems, can affect the tide schedule and water depths, but it's mostly a very predictable process.

Keep in mind that the exact time given for "high" tide or "low" tide is simply the prediction for the turning point in the tidal process for a specific location. There is great variation geographically. And just because the time for high tide is given at 5:15 PM, for example, doesn't mean the tide isn't "high" at 6 o'clock. The water level stays considerably high for the hours prior and after the given scheduled tidal mark. The major depth changes occur within the hours midway between high and low tides.